


A Winter Tale

by aoishmex



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28282851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aoishmex/pseuds/aoishmex
Summary: A winter memory from Adrian and Lucrezio's childhood long before their story began.
Relationships: Adrian x Lucrezio, Apprentice/Julian Devorak
Kudos: 1





	A Winter Tale

Snow blanketed the forest floor, glittering softly in the winter sun. Many of the trees were bare. Their woodland occupants were nowhere to be seen. Birdsong was scarce. In the day the beauty of the season overshadowed the lack of life. But after sunset the stillness became jarringly apparent. The moon cast a pale, lonely light that gave little comfort. Any warmth from the sun disappeared all too quickly. Birdsong was replaced with eerie howls and unsettling whispers on the wind.

The sun had set hours ago. The moon was high but gave little light above the canopy of the trees. The stars seemed farther away. A soft sound broke through the stillness. A young Adrian shivered beneath the shadow of a large tree. He had been alone for hours now. He had been told, when lost, to stay where he was and someone would find him. But he had been lost long before sunset. Tears froze almost as quickly as they fell. Adrian wiped at his eyes. He was hungry and scared. “Dad, where are you…?” he sniffled. He heard the soft crunch of footsteps on snow and looked up with a gasp.

Lantern light emerged, almost floating, from the pitch-black of the evergreens. A child just a bit younger than himself stepped into view. Their hair matched the snow, some of it pulled back into a small braid. Their baby blue coat was trimmed with fur at the collar to make up for the absence of a scarf. Their shoes were covered with soft fur as well for extra warmth. Adrian could tell by their clothes that their family was wealthier than his own. The child walked closer to him. The lantern chased away the darkness Adrian had been surrounded by. “Why are you crying?” they asked softly. 

Their voice let Adrian know they were a boy as well. Again he wiped at his eyes. “I’m lost…”

“I can take you home. Where do you live?”

“South End. But it’s so far.”

“It’s okay. We’ll make it together,” the other assured. He smiled and held out a mitted hand for him to take.

With a final wipe of his eyes Adrian stood up and took his hand. The boy with long hair began leading him through the forest. Adrian was a little taller than he was but the younger held a sort of confidence despite his age. “I’m Adrian,” he introduced.

“Lucrezio.”

“L-Lu… Lucre…” Adrian struggled. “Can I call you ‘Zio’?”

“Sure.” Lucrezio wove them through the forest at a steady pace. If there was a path to walk on Adrian couldn’t see it. Lucrezio’s lantern helped them avoid any large rocks or tree stumps jutting out of the snow. “What are you doing in the forest by yourself?” he asked after a while.

“I was looking for something,” Adrian admitted.

“What were you looking for?”

“Star fruit. I’ve heard it’s good for winter illnesses. My little sister has been sick all week. She won’t eat. I was just trying to help.”

“Oh! I know where to find some!” Lucrezio exclaimed. “Come on; it’s on the way,” he said. Adrian found himself being pulled along at a faster pace. Lucrezio wove through the trees as if he had done so all his life. The lantern surrounded them with a warm glow. The stars were easier to see as they neared a less dense area of the forest. Lucrezio stopped when they reached a stream. The water ran with a gentle gurgle. “Look. They’re on a tree right over there,” Lucrezio said, pointing across the stream.

Adrian looked where he was pointing. He could see a cluster of oblong fruit with large red flowers. “There they are!” he exclaimed. But his excitement quickly disappeared when he looked down at the water. “But, Zio… how do we get to them? The water’s too wide to jump over. And I can’t tell how deep it is.”

Lucrezio hummed in thought. Then his eyes lit up with an idea. “We’ll walk over it.”

Adrian stared. “What?”

“We’ll walk,” he repeated. Then he gripped Adrian’s hand tighter and took a step into the water. Adrian gave a gasp of surprise as the water froze under Lucrezio’s foot. He was even more amazed when it remained frozen under his own feet. He gave an exhale of relief when they were safely on the other side. Lucrezio looked rather proud of himself when he looked at the ice bridge he had made. He looked up at the tree. “Now, to get that fruit…”

“Oh!” Adrian exclaimed, snapping out of his daze. “I can do that! I know magic, too!” He let go of Lucrezio’s hand to take off his gloves. He stuck them in his coat pocket and walked up to the tree. He took in a breath, let it out slowly, and concentrated. He waved his hands as if he were trying to catch smoke. Soon he could feel the wind in his hands. Once he felt he had enough magic gathered he made a large slicing motion. The wind cut through the air with a whistle. The branch holding the cluster of fruit fell to the snow. “I did it!”

“Wow!” Lucrezio proclaimed. He hurried over to help Adrian pluck the fruit off the branch. “That was great!”

Adrian blushed. “Thanks. I’m still learning.”

“Me, too. My dad and uncle teach me.”

“My dad teaches me, too. Well--one of them does. My other dad doesn’t know magic well enough to teach me.”

“I have two dads, too. Don’t forget the flowers. My uncle says the tea from the flowers helps keep fevers away.”

“Okay.” They gathered the fruit and flowers into the bag Adrian had with him. He looked at one of the fruits a bit forlornly. “I wish you could eat them without cooking them first…”

Lucrezio picked up his lantern again. “Are you hungry?” he asked. Adrian nodded with a sigh. Even as he looked at the fruit he could feel his stomach clench in pain from lack of food. Lucrezio reached into his coat pocket and pulled out something that resembled tree bark. “Here. It’s dried meat. It’s not very big but it’s something,” he offered.

Adrian took the food a bit dubiously. But hunger urged him to take a small bite at least. “It’s good,” he said before taking another bite. It was chewy but the flavors were good, and most importantly it was food. “Thanks, Zio.”

The younger smiled. “You’re welcome. I was going to give it to the fox but you need it more.” He took Adrian’s hand again and led the way across the stream back to the other side.

“What fox?”

“I saw a fox in my parents’ garden. I followed it, and then I found you. I wonder where it went…”

“You like foxes?”

“Yes, but I like bunnies more.”

Adrian’s eyes lit up with an idea. “Wanna see something?” Before Lucrezio could respond Adrian led him to a certain spot amid the snow. “Stay there,” he said, taking the lantern as he stepped back a few feet. He had an excited grin on his face as he gathered magic in his hands like a snowball. Then he tossed it gently out of his hands. When it met the snow it transformed into a sparkling silhouette of a rabbit. It hopped a few paces without a sound. Then there was another, and another, until there were six of them bouncing on the snow. Lucrezio gave a giddy laugh as he watched them. He twirled as they hopped around him in a circle. When the rabbits disappeared he was out of breath from laughing. Adrian picked up the lantern for him. “Did you like it?” he asked.

“It was beautiful!” Lucrezio beamed. He took the lantern in hand.”Thank you.”

“That was me thanking you,” Adrian said as they linked hands. “I couldn’t have gotten the star fruit without you.”

“It was fun. Come on. I’ll have you home soon.” They continued talking as Lucrezio led him through the forest. Before long they reached the city streets. They were empty and silent as the forest but much more familiar. They made their way through the empty marketplace hand in hand. A few house lights helped light the way.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Adrian asked.

Lucrezio was quiet a moment as he thought about it. “I don’t know.”

“What do your parents do?”

“They take care of Vesuvia. What about your parents?”

“My dad who knows magic is a baker. My other dad is a doctor. I want to be a doctor like him. He knows a lot even if he can’t do magic. And people like him! They trust him a lot, although dad says that wasn’t always the case.”

Lucrezio smiled. “I think you’d make a great doctor, Adrian.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm. You’re really nice and you want to help people. I think that makes a great doctor.”

“Thanks, Zio,” Adrian smiled, blushing again. His attention was caught by a figure further up the street. “Dad!” he shouted. He broke away from Lucrezio and ran to the man.

“Adrian!” Julian breathed with relief. He looked him over frantically. “What happened? Where did you go? Are you hurt?” he asked.

“I’m okay.”

Julian sighed and held his son to him. “Thank goodness… So what happened?”

“I went to the forest to find some star fruit but I got lost.” Adrian related the whole story in an excited rush. He showed his father the fruit he had gathered. “Now Rhys can get better, right?”

His father gave a tender smile. “Yeah. Good job finding these.”

“Zio helped me find them. And then he brought me home.”

“Zio?” Julian repeated. He looked back to where Adrian was pointing in time to see the door to Asra’s shop open. The magician rushed outside, scooping up a white-haired child with a large smile. “Huh…” Julian mused.

“Dad? I’m sorry I got lost,” Adrian apologized.

Julian ruffled his hair. “It’s alright, son. But next time, ask me for help, okay? That’s what dads are for.”

“Okay,” Adrian nodded. His father picked him up and turned to head home. Adrian looked behind them again, catching Lucrezio’s attention with a wave goodbye. Lucrezio waved back as Asra carried him inside.

  
  


Twenty years later, Adrian made his way through the palace gardens. The winter moon bathed the foliage in blue, giving just enough light so he wasn’t in complete darkness. The path was familiar to him. He knew exactly where he was going and where in the garden he would end up. He paused when he heard footsteps on the snow ahead of him. An elegant figure stood before him holding a lantern in one hand. Adrian smiled. “Lucrezio.”

“There you are,” the count said with a smile of his own. 

“What are you doing out here? It’s freezing.”

“I was waiting for you.” 

Adrian felt his cheeks grow warm. Lucrezio held out a hand. Adrian hurried and took it in his own, raising it to his lips to press a soft kiss to the cooled digits. Together they headed along the path toward the palace. Even with the other right beside him Adrian was unaware of the memory of their past. But he was more than aware of the memories they now shared, and with the year coming to a close he was certain they would make many more.


End file.
